Will Stark C&D get to expand?

Kelli Young

Monday

Nov 26, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 26, 2007 at 8:11 AM

Water wells used by residents living along Cindell Street SE for drinking water, to wash their dishes and clothes and to water their lawns sit downstream from where Stark C&D Disposal dumps the bricks, wood, concrete and other construction debris it collects.

Water wells used by residents living along Cindell Street SE for drinking water, to wash their dishes and clothes and to water their lawns sit downstream from where Stark C&D Disposal dumps the bricks, wood, concrete and other construction debris it collects.

You can’t see the debris pile through the hills and trees surrounding the landfill at 7280 Lisbon St. SE.

But that could change if the Stark County Board of Health approves Stark C&D’s request to expand its disposal area from 20 acres to 89. The health board plans to meet at 8 a.m. Wednesday to make its decision.

Stark C&D accepts construction and demolition debris from homes and work sites, not residential garbage.

If approved, the expansion would bring Stark C&D’s disposal area within roughly 100 feet of the Cindell Street SE properties. That’s closer than the Stark County District Library is to the Palace Theatre.

At least 1,000 years

Beth Ullom, a geologist with Dayton-based Bowser-Morner, says Cindell Street residents and county health officials have little to fear.

Ullom, who was hired by Stark C&D to analyze the 146-acre site, told health board members during a hearing earlier this month that any contamination from the landfill would take at least 1,000 years to reach the nearest well due to the soil conditions at the landfill.

“In my scientific opinion, the proposed expansion of Stark C&D will not have an adverse effect on human health, public safety or the environment,” Ullom said.

Health Commissioner William Franks told the health board it doesn’t need to consider the landfill’s potential effect on the community because Stark C&D’s request violates state regulations.

“My recommendation has nothing to do with the present facility, it only involved the proposed expansion,” Franks said. “The law is set up to protect from contamination.”

At least 1,000 feet

The Ohio Department of Health says no landfill can be placed within 1,000 feet of private wells, Franks said. Nineteen private water wells would exist within 1,000 feet of the proposed expansion boundary line, he said.

Stark C&D’s attorney Michael Cyphert disagrees with Franks’ recommendation because he says the disposal company meets all state laws regarding a landfill’s license. He believes the state Health Department’s distance regulation doesn’t apply to a landfill’s license.

“In no case has the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency or a local board of health ever applied the Ohio Department of Health’s regulation to deny a license,” Cyphert said.

The expansion would increase Stark C&D’s life span from at least 20 years to 98 years.

The Stark County Board of Health set a meeting for 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Stark County Health Department to decide whether Stark C&D Disposal at 7280 Lisbon St. SE can expand its disposal area from 20 acres to 89 acres.

Here’s a summary of the main arguments presented to the board:

WHY THE EXPANSION SHOULD BE GRANTED: Stark C&D attorney Michael Cyphert said geological studies show that the expansion will not adversely affect the community because it would take 1,000 years for any contamination from the site to reach the closest private well. He also said the landfill will add safety features, such as a liner under the new disposal area and a buffer.

WHY IT SHOULDN’T: Stark County Health Commissioner William Franks said Stark C&D’s request to expand violates state regulations that forbid landfills from being placed within 1,000 feet of a private water well. Nineteen private water wells would exist within 1,000 feet of the proposed expansion boundary line, he said. The closest well on Cindell Street SE is within 100 feet of the proposed expanded boundary, he said.

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